AthFest Music & Arts Festival – June 24th-28th

The 19th annual AthFest Music and Arts Festival will take place June 24th to the 28th in historic downtown Athens, GA. AthFest is a multi-day festival that includes the three day AthFest Music and Arts Festival, with a showcase of musical acts on two outdoor stages, a juried outdoor artists market, KidsFest and a Club Crawl through some of Athens’ best clubs and music venues. AthFest also has affiliated events leading up to and during the music festival, including LaughFest, Wired Dance Music Festival, the Flagpole Music Awards and music related films at Cine. AthFest is a fundraiser for AthFest Educates, which advances high-quality music and arts education for local youth through grants to teachers and community organizations.

The Blue Indian crew will be returning for our 5th AthFest. You can read all about our previous adventures here. This is one of our favorite events of the year and highly encourage you to make the trip to Athens if you have never attended.

AthFest Music and Arts Festival: The annual free outdoor music festival, artist market and KidsFest will take place Friday June 26th from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, Saturday June 27th noon to 10:00pm, and Sunday June 28th 12:30pm to 8:00pm, and will showcase the best of Athens’ famed music and arts scene. Headliners on the outdoor stages include: New Madrid, The Whigs, Kuroma, T. Hardy Morris and the Hardknocks, of Montreal, We Love Tractor and The Baseball Project. To see the outdoor stage schedule go to athfesteducates.org/athfest-schedule/. The open air juried artist market features more than 50 artist booths representing many mediums. Attendees can also enjoy food trucks and other vendors, AthFest beer gardens and the AthFest merchandise tent selling AthFest t-shirts, tank tops, beer mugs and lapel pins with this year’s art theme by local artist Matt Blanks, as well as AthFest Compilation Album CDs. To pre-purchase merchandise go to athfesteducates.org/store

AthFest Club Crawl: After the outdoor shows Friday June 26th and Saturday June 27th, a $30 wristband (available individually or in discount bundle packages available online, or at the festival) grants access into more than a dozen Club Crawl venues Friday and Saturday nights, and into a VIP/wristband-only viewing area to the right of the stage, as well as discounts at AthFest affiliated events. Headliners for the Club Crawl shows include The Whiskey Gentry, Warehouse, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Darnell Boys, and Surfer Blood. Club Crawl schedule athfesteducates.org/club-crawl/

KidsFest at AthFest: KidsFest is a free AthFest family event that will take place Saturday, June 27thfrom 12:30pm to 5:30pm, and Sunday, June 28th from 1:00pm to 5:30pm, with performances, activities and exhibits by and for Athens’ youngest community members. A Kids Dance Party will be held Saturday, June 27th from 1–3 p.m. in the CinéLab with kid-friendly beats spun by DJ Mahogany.

New this year is the UpNext Showcase, Friday June 26th on the KidsFest stage, with performances by and for young adults/teens, featuring Blue Box, Absent Mind, Benjamin Simpson, Feedback, and DJ Nowa. For the full KidsFest schedule go to athfest.com/kidsfest

New This Year: VIP Lounge: A new feature at this year’s festival, VIP tickets include access to the air-conditioned Iron Factory VIP Lounge and private outdoor patio where main stage shows will be streamed on a Jumbo TV. This area includes clean restrooms, free drinks, free snacks and 2 children 16 and under admitted free. VIP tickets also include Club Crawl wristbands and an AthFest merchandise package, which includes a 2015 AthFest Compilation CD and commemorative lapel pin. Tickets can be purchased for single days or three day passes, and include singles and couples tickets. For more information and to purchase go to athfesteducates.org/store/vip-area-tickets

LaughFest: Kicking off the five days of AthFest revelry is LaughFest, Wednesday, June 24th at The Georgia Theatre from 8:00pm to 11:00pm. The 6th annual comedy showcase features Caleb Synan and friends, and is co-hosted by Jake Brannon and Shaunak Godkhindi. Tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door and $7 with an AthFest wristband. For more information go to athfest.com/laughfest

Wired Dance Music Festival: Live Wire Athens hosts this premier electronic dance music showcase on Saturday, June 27th, from 2pm to 2am with more than 20 acts scheduled to appear on three stages and nearly all beat-based dance genres represented. Tickets are $10 at the door, $5 with AthFest wristband. For more information go to athfest.com/wired-2015

Flagpole Music Awards: The annual music awards for Athens bands and musicians, hosted by theFlagpole Magazine, takes place Thursday, June 25th at the historic Morton Theatre and features award presentations for a dozen plus music categories, as well as performances. For more go to flagpole.com